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-
- QUICKBBS Version 2.75
- 10/10/91
-
-
- First things first: We wish to thank a bunch of people for their
- contributions, without which, QuickBBS v2.75 would not exist. First, the
- BETA team. Without their efforts, frustrations, testing, loss of data,
- and feedback, it would be difficult, if not impossible to produce the
- quality product that QuickBBS v2.75 is.
-
- Special thanks to Max von der Horst (1:363/320), whose efforts as beta
- team co-ordinator, whose friendship, whose advice and council have made a
- significant improvement in the quality of QuickBBS, and without whom, it
- is likely that QuickBBS v2.75 would never have been.
-
- Other major players include Darrell Cadwallader & Kenneth Wall who spent
- significant portions of their past year, documenting, testing, and coding
- large portions of QuickBBS. Their efforts show markedly in this release.
-
- We wish to thank Mark Moran, Sander Eek and Crispin Harris, our product
- distributers who have really helped us with registrations.
-
- Last, but certainly not least, we wish to thank the hundreds of GOLD key
- registerees who have helped foot the bill for our expenses, and of course
- all of the people who have registered v2.66 and shown support by those
- registrations.
-
- Richard Creighton
- Steve Gabrilowitz
- PEGASUS SOFTWARE
-
- ----------------------------------------------
- Updates, Enhancements & Changes: QuickBBS 2.75
- ----------------------------------------------
-
- Please note that this file is only intended to show new features and
- enhancements and does not necessarily describe how these are used.
- This is by no means an exhaustive list.
-
- Please refer to the QuickBBS documentation for more information on proper
- use of these functions. 'Bug-fixes' are not included as part of this
- document.
-
-
-
- Multi-node operation
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- * QuickBBS is now multi-node. Use of an external multitasker such as
- Desqview 386 or use of a LAN allows operation of several copies of
- QuickBBS to allow multiple local and remote users.
-
- * QuickBBS will now detect the presence of a multitasker or AT-BIOS,
- and supply proper time-slices where applicable.
-
- * Enhanced full screen editor interface allows external full screen
- editors such as TopEd to display extended information while a user
- is entering a message
-
- * Added new menu types to display list of users currently on-line,
- and the ability to send/receive messages to/from each line.
-
- + A real-time multi-node chat feature has been added to allow for
- communication between nodes.
-
- * QuickBBS can now display a different message at logon for each node
-
- * New message base locking code has been added to allow QuickBBS to
- work with most third-party programs such as GoldED.
-
- * QuickBBS will prevent a user from logging onto more than one node
- at one time.
-
-
-
- General
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- * Added detection of remote caller ANSI capabilities. QuickBBS will
- determine whether or not a caller is capable of ANSI graphics and
- display the opening copyright notice in color. Also, optional use of
- the full screen editor is enabled if ANSI is detected, even if the
- user has chosen not to have the color screens displayed.
-
- * An internal split-screen chat facility has been added.
- can decide whether or not the full or 'regular' chat functions are
- used.
-
- * QuickBBS now incorporates a fully configurable internal call-back
- verification system.
-
- * The sysop status bar has been enhanced and expanded to 5 screens.
- The bar is now continually updated, even while a user is transferring
- a file. Options such as user's time remaining and security levels
- can be changed while the user is within the file transfer.
-
- * File download/upload ratios can now be enforced through LIMITS.CTL
-
- * QCONFIG was totally rewritten to take advantage of QuickBBS's new
- features and provide a more user-friendly configuration utility.
-
- * 'Look and feel' of many sysop and user prompts was changed. You can
- now also delete any default value within a prompt by pressing CTRL-X.
-
- * QuickBBS can now swap itself out to disk or any EMS memory available
- on any type 7 DOS shell or when using the full-screen editor.
-
- * There is now a feature that will allow you to perform shell commands
- from within a text file. Security of this option is also maintained
- through QCONFIG.
-
- * The local screen is now saved before a sysop DOS shell (ALT-J) and is
- restored upon return. QuickBBS will also change the prompt in a DOS
- shell to remind you that you are shelled from QuickBBS.
-
- * User passwords have been made case insensitive.
-
- * Longer lines in FILES.BBS are now wrapped onto the next line
-
- * The BBS will now re-load EXITINFO.BBS on a type 7 shell, so that most
- external doors can be used as a type 7 instead of a type 15 exit.
-
- * Users can now change their own home/voice or business/data telephone
- numbers through two new menu types.
-
- * Aliases are now supported. Users can now pick their own aliases
- (QuickBBS will now also check to make sure no two users use the same
- name) as well as allowing the sysop to configure which message bases
- aliases are permitted. Users can also use their alias instead of
- their real name at log-in. Any mail addressed to the alias will be
- picked up if the user logged in with his or her real name and vice
- versa.
-
- * When replying to a message, you are no longer asked if you wish to
- quote the message. QuickBBS now passes the quoted text onto the
- message editor by default (when using an external editor) and the
- user may decide to use the quote by using the quoting functions within
- the editor.
-
- * The capability to change the destination or subject of a message has
- been completely revamped.
-
- * QuickBBS can now 'simulate' line noise to make it easier for discreet
- sysop hang-ups.
-
- * The system usage graph was revamped and is now displayed using ANSI
- graphics instead of text graphics.
-
- * Full support of file and message area templates was added.
-
- * Support for points and pointnets has been added in the netmail section.
-
- * NetMail cost accounting now is properly supported.
-
- * QuickBBS now supports the passing of a baudrate of 38400 or 14400 on the
- command line.
-
- * Code optimization now makes it possible to run QuickBBS (overlay
- version) in under 210K of RAM.
-
- * USEREDIT was completely re-written and redesigned. You can now edit
- _every_ field within the user record. Use of a pointing device such as
- a mouse is now also supported.
-
- * Birthday and sex information can now be stored in the userfile. QuickBBS
- also has the ability to display a customized message to the user on
- his/her birthday.
-
- * The local flag is now set when a message is forwarded.
-
- * Improved handling of events.
-
- * When entering a message, the default security is now PUBLIC, unless
- the original message was PRIVATE.
-
- * File transfer protocols can now be selectively activated or deactivated
-
- * You can now see/edit most values within the user record while that user
- is on-line by using an internal user editor.
-
- * Menu text items can now be centered within the menu itself.
-
- * A new .ANS/.ASC file has been added to allow sysops to display a text
- file immediately before asking for the user's data phone number.
-
- * QuickBBS now supports either free-form telephone number entry or standard
- North American format (xxx)-(xxx)-(xxxx).
-
- * The page bell can now be temporarily disabled using the Scroll Lock key.
-
- * A new menu type has been added to update lastread pointers as if you had
- logged off the system and then back on.
-
- * 'Barefoot' mode has been cleaned up for better modem handling and better
- cosmetic appearance.
-
- * Users can now leave the sysop a message right after he/she has reached
- the maximum allowable password attempts.
-
- * The questionnaire commands SetFlag and SetSecurity no longer scan the
- configuration files to update the internal file and message area
- authorization variables. This will cause a significant speedup for those
- who use a lot of these in autoexecuted Q-A files.
-
- * Support for .ARJ files has been added to the internal archive viewer.
-
- * The 'page reason' is now displayed on one of the status bars.
-
- + The number of messages to keep/kill for each area is now stored in the
- message record to allow easy configuration of MSGPACK.
-
- * File download/upload ratios and limits can now be enforced or disabled
- on an area-specific basis.
-
- * You can now define paths and drives where QuickBBS files are stored.
-
- * Some basic system prompts are now fully customizable.
-
- * Added support for sysop color customization.
-
- * QuickBBS no longer requires the large nodelist files (QNL_IDX.BBS and
- QNL_DAT.BBS). A new nodelist compiler is included and the file format
- changed to use only a small data file and raw nodelist.
-
- * A new questionnaire command, UpdateBoards has been added. This should be
- used after a SetFlag or SetSecurity which will affect the user's access
- to file and/or message areas.
-
- * An ELSE capability has been added added to the IF statements in the
- questionnaire language.
-
- * The ASK statement in the questionnaire language now allows a minimum
- response length to be specified.
-
- * Many cosmetic and appearance-related changes.
-
- * Completely re-engineered mail utilities
-
-
- Disclaimer
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- QuickBBS is Copyright (C) 1991, Pegasus Software. All other names
- represented in this work are trademarks of their respective holders.
-
- Pegasus Software or any of its agents do not make any claim to the
- accuracy or completeness of this documentation.
-
- Document (C) 1991 Alex Tait. All Rights Reserved.
-
-